Chapter 77 Accomplices

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In the vegetable garden

On the triangular wooden frame supporting the tomato saplings, green fruits hung from the branches, with the occasional red or light pink one or two.

She Ning likes tomatoes with a sandy texture. Her family's tastes are quite consistent. When she went to buy seeds, she specifically chose the most widely planted variety, the Maofen series.

I've heard that this variety has a thin, soft, and glutinous skin, a rich flavor, and produces fruit that is mostly sandy in texture and tastes delicious. The only drawback is that it is prone to cracking when ripe.

She had been looking forward to it since it was planted, and now, looking at the red bud hiding under the green leaves, She Ning decisively reached out and picked it.

They were plump, bright red, and very appealing. Even before eating them, you could smell a strong tomato aroma just by holding them in your hand. They were much more fragrant than the ones you could buy for seven or eight yuan in the market later on.

Their fruits and vegetables are all pesticide-free, emphasizing being green, pollution-free, and purely natural.

She wiped it with the corner of her clothes and then took a bite.

The flesh is soft and creamy, with a rich and delicate texture and abundant juice. When you bite into it, the sweet and sour juice bursts out, making it refreshing and delicious, just like eating a fruit.

That's too little; I'm not satisfied at all.

She finished the fist-sized tomato in just a few bites. Looking at the still green tomato babies, She Ning felt that time was passing too slowly, and she wished they could all turn red in an instant.

She rummaged through a pile of tomato leaves and finally managed to find two. She lined the bottom with some greens before putting them in the basket.

Excellent! She Ni's tomato salad with sugar is all set for tonight.

The vegetable garden, which is more than an acre in size, is planted with a variety of fruits and vegetables. In one corner, bok choy, which was planted a month ago, is growing lush and green, forming a dense, large patch.

She wanted to leave some to grow into baby bok choy, so she placed the bamboo basket to one side, squatted down, and gently pulled out some of the bok choy to give the seedlings enough space to grow. The bok choy she pulled out would be used to make stir-fried bok choy with garlic slices when she got home for lunch.

Over at the watermelon patch, the small watermelons looked like they'd taken growth hormones; they'd grown to the size of a soccer ball in just a few days. She Ning patted one of the watermelons, listened carefully for a while, and then patted the ones next to it.

I don't understand. I'll never learn to listen to familiarity in two lifetimes. In the end, I'll still have to call my mom.

Watermelons weren't ready to be eaten yet, so She Ning picked a few white, jade-like cantaloupes from the nearby melon patch, along with some cucumbers and loofahs. She even picked two bitter melons especially for She Hongmei.

After filling her basket to the brim, She Ning strolled leisurely home. In addition to fruits and vegetables, there was also a bunch of wildflowers in the basket, and she was playing with a foxtail grass in her hand. It was springtime, and the ridges of the fields were full of wildflowers and grasses, and everything was full of vitality.

"Ah Ning, want some fish? Wild silver carp, just caught from the river," an auntie by the roadside greeted her warmly. A large bucket of water sat beside her, with splashes of water occasionally flying out.

She Ning recognized her as Aunt Wang from next door; they were related by blood, as their two families shared the same great-grandfather.

"Aunt Wang, how much is this silver carp?"

The pickled mustard greens that we made at home a while ago should be ready by now. If we buy a fish, she can make pickled fish with mustard greens.

As she asked the question, She Ning leaned closer to take a look.

The bucket was full of fish, including the silver carp she mentioned, as well as grass carp, snakehead, common carp, and more, all lively and looking very fresh.

She got splashed with water when she leaned closer.

"Stand back a bit, don't get your clothes dirty." Seeing that she had been splashed with water, Aunt Wang told She Ning to stay away from the bucket. Then, she deftly grabbed a silvery-white fish from the bucket with her bare hands. The fish was about as long as her arm.

She Ning suspected that the fish weighed at least twenty pounds.

Using straw to thread it from the gills to the mouth, Aunt Wang handed the fish to She Ning. Under her straw hat, her dark face revealed gleaming white teeth. She laughed heartily, "What's this about selling it? We're neighbors, it's just a fish. You can take it and eat it."

She Ning felt a warmth in her heart. In the village, there are only a few bad apples; most people are simple and kind. However, she couldn't just take it for free. She could tell at a glance that the fish in her bucket were meant to be sold in town.

"That won't do. If I take such a big fish home, my mom will chase me from one end of the village to the other with a feather duster," She Ning joked. "Aunt Wang, you don't want to see me get beaten up, do you?"

"You're just talking nonsense. Even if your mother hit me, she wouldn't lay a finger on you." Aunt Wang smiled broadly, unable to stop.

Everyone in the village knows that She Hongmei's two daughters are her most precious treasures. She wouldn't even dare to scold them, let alone hit them.

However, She Ning and She Ni are also worthy of her affection. They have been sensible and filial since childhood and never make people angry.

After Aunt Wang finished laughing, seeing that She Ning really refused to take the fish, she glanced at She Ning's vegetable basket and said, "I like to eat cantaloupe. I won't have anything to quench my thirst when I go out later. How about this, you trade me a cantaloupe with me?"

She Ning knew that Aunt Wang was not going to accept money today, and she had the idea of ​​eating pickled fish. She was thinking about eating it now. If she didn't take the fish, it seemed a bit troublesome to go out to fish by boat just for one fish.

But if she only gets these few melons, Aunt Wang is losing out. She Ning pondered for a moment and finally nodded.

This fish is so big, I'll cook it and send some over to her to try. I also have some braised pig's trotters at home, I'll send some over there too.

When Aunt Wang saw that she nodded, she happily handed over the fish she was holding.

She Ning struggled to lift the straw; she had underestimated the weight of the fish, which was at least 25 jin (12.5 catties).

She Ning put all the cantaloupes into Aunt Wang's handbag, asked her when she would be back, and then happily half-carried, half-dragged the fish home.

Back home, she immediately started preparing lunch, and also scooped out some flour to make cabbage and pork dumplings, which Shengnan liked to eat.

"Ah Ning, come out quickly! The police are here to arrest the mastermind behind the theft in your house." I just came back from Guan Xiuhua's place and ate a mouthful of melons as soon as I entered the village. I haven't had time to come over and ask She Ning and the others about the truth yet.

While waiting under the big banyan tree at the entrance of the village, Guan Xiuli saw several three-wheeled vehicles drive in from the corner of the village entrance. The vehicles did not stop and drove straight towards the house of She Lao Er She Weiqiang.

A moment later, a person wearing a black hood was brought out and handcuffed. She twisted her shoulders and tried to struggle, but two people in white uniforms held her hands and pressed her shoulders down, so she couldn't move.

She Lili, the daughter of She Laosan, followed behind with red eyes, trying to talk to Detective Chen and plead for leniency.

It was lunchtime, and everyone had just returned from the fields. When they saw the police car arrive, they all gathered around, forming a dense crowd that completely surrounded She Lao Er's house.

Upon receiving a notification from the villagers, village secretary She Aijun, who was still in the field, abandoned his hoe and ran towards the village. When he arrived at She Lao Er's house, his trouser legs were still up, and his feet were covered in mud.

"Detective Chen, this is..."

I dare not open my eyes.

Looking at the huge scene before him, She Aijun felt like his head was about to explode, and his vision blurred.

When the She family reported the burglary in the morning, he was out. He only heard about it when he returned later. Then, rumors spread in the village that the villagers had colluded with outsiders to commit the crime, but he thought it was just hearsay.

After all, all the She families in Xiahe Village originated from the same ancestor. Strictly speaking, they are all one family. There may be minor squabbles and disagreements on a daily basis, but in the past hundred years, there has never been a case of betraying the village.

I never imagined I'd encounter something like this in my lifetime. What a tragedy! What kind of things are these?

"Attempted assault on a police officer, an accomplice in the She family theft case." Chen Shengnan looked up, nodded at Lin Xiufen, and then said succinctly.

The suspect was brought back to the police station in the morning. Before the interrogation had even begun, Zhang San, looking tired and sleepy, started to confess.

The accomplices, the time, the place, and the evidence—everything was explained clearly.

Before they could even settle into their seats, they called out to their colleagues and rushed back to Xiahe Village.

When they broke into She Weiqiang's house, the suspect was on guard and was hiding not far from the door, keeping watch. The moment the door opened, she swung a machete at him. Fortunately, Chen Shengnan was alert and agile enough to dodge, otherwise, with the force of that blow, she would have been seriously injured if not killed.

When the machete in her hand was kicked away, she grabbed people with her hands and bit them with her teeth. It was only with great difficulty that they managed to handcuff her and gag her.

Guan Xiuli stood in the crowd of onlookers. She ran over to call for She Ning when Lin Xiufang was being forced out of the yard.

Having already identified the accomplice through interrogation and verified the answer using Ya Ya's new skill, Absolute Territory, She Ning was not surprised that the accomplice was Lin Xiufang.

Zhang San wasn't one to keep a secret, and he couldn't hold out for long under her methods, let alone under the hands of professional interrogators. So, She Ning had prepared her favorite cabbage and pork dumplings for Sheng Nan well in advance, just waiting for her to come back and take them with her.

In the kitchen, I slowly and deliberately finished making the last few dumplings. They were plump, with thin skins and generous fillings, and they looked delicious.

She Ning placed them one by one into the steamer, then stirred the fire in the stove a few times before slowly taking off her apron.

"Grandma, I'm steaming dumplings on the stove. Could you keep an eye on the fire for me? I'm going out with Aunt Guan for a bit." After washing the flour off her hands, She Ning called out to the west wing.

"Okay, go ahead." Grandma She was training people to pick up beans in the room. Hearing this, she put down her chopsticks and came out.

She Ning followed Guan Xiuli to the front of She Lao Er's house. A crowd gathered, and Guan Xiuli pulled She Ning to squeeze in and get to the front.

The villagers were initially a little unhappy about being squeezed, but when they saw that it was the person in question, they immediately and consciously made room for them to enter.

When She Ning arrived, Sheng Nan was returning to the village chief's words.

He was an accomplice in the attempted assault on a police officer and the theft case at the She family's residence.

“Detective Chen, my mother didn’t mean to hurt you. She’s just scared of strangers. Could you please not arrest her?”

She Lili grabbed Chen Shengnan's arm and pleaded, "As for the theft case, my mother hasn't left the house since my brother was arrested, so she's definitely not an accomplice."

While mending clothes in her room, she stepped out of the door to find Lin Xiufang wielding her gleaming, sharp wood-chopping knife, hacking at people. She was stunned. By the time she came to her senses, Lin Xiufang had already been subdued by the woman in white and pinned to the ground.

She didn't want to be without a mother, nor did she want a mother who was in prison. Although she knew in her heart that she was the one who instigated the theft in the She family, she still lied against her conscience.

"Detective Chen..."

She Lili kept talking and explaining until her mouth was dry, but Chen Shengnan remained expressionless. She waved her hand to gather the group and take them back to the police station.

Upon receiving the order, the man in white pressed the person down and started walking towards the car.

As if realizing her impending doom, Lin Xiufang, covered by a black cloth bag, whimpered and struggled to move around.

"Behave yourself," the officer holding her said coldly.